COVID-19 thread

[lt.wolf]

Crew Classic is virtual ....

[rowing]

Ugh...April falls next and with it Ivy courage.

[lt.wolf]

Michigan on pause

https://mgoblue.com/news/2021/1/23/gene ... pause.aspx

[Rocket-Sauce]

SIRA cancelled
https://www.rowingnews.com/2021/02/01/s ... 1-regatta/

[JD]

SIRA cancelled
https://www.rowingnews.com/2021/02/01/s ... 1-regatta/

Yeah, ORRA got the news a week or so ago.

They're hoping they can pull off ACRA's. They have a multi-year commitment to hold it on the Oak Ridge site.

[lt.wolf]

Harvard to have full return in the fall

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/coronavi ... 35662/?amp

[Norm]

With the newest guidelines about exceedingly low rates of transferability of the virus from surfaces, so we still need to disinfect?

https://www.cdc.gov/hai/prevent/environ ... faces.html

[Remomex]

With the newest guidelines about exceedingly low rates of transferability of the virus from surfaces, so we still need to disinfect?

https://www.cdc.gov/hai/prevent/environ ... faces.html

Pretty sure this has been known for quite a while now. Unless you're touching a surface that has been coughed/sneezed on directly by someone with an infection you're very likely never going to get covid from touching a surface of any kind. Though the same is true about outdoor transmission and yet mask-wearing outdoors is still required in many places...

[lt.wolf]

Game on in Boston
Aug. 1:

Remaining industries will be permitted to open including:

Dance clubs, and nightclubs
Saunas, hot-tubs, steam rooms at fitness centers, health clubs and other facilities
Indoor water parks
Ball pits
All industry restrictions will be lifted at that time, and capacity will increase to 100% for all industries, with businesses encouraged to continue following best practices. The gathering limit will be rescinded.

[Norm]

With the newest guidelines about exceedingly low rates of transferability of the virus from surfaces, so we still need to disinfect?

https://www.cdc.gov/hai/prevent/environ ... faces.html

Pretty sure this has been known for quite a while now. Unless you're touching a surface that has been coughed/sneezed on directly by someone with an infection you're very likely never going to get covid from touching a surface of any kind. Though the same is true about outdoor transmission and yet mask-wearing outdoors is still required in many places...

NYT 5-11-2021 <underline and bold are mine - Norm>

‘A huge exaggeration’
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines last month for mask wearing, it announced that “less than 10 percent” of Covid-19 transmission was occurring outdoors. Media organizations repeated the statistic, and it quickly became a standard description of the frequency of outdoor transmission.

But the number is almost certainly misleading.

It appears to be based partly on a misclassification of some Covid transmission that actually took place in enclosed spaces (as I explain below). An even bigger issue is the extreme caution of C.D.C. officials, who picked a benchmark — 10 percent — so high that nobody could reasonably dispute it.

That benchmark “seems to be a huge exaggeration,” as Dr. Muge Cevik, a virologist at the University of St. Andrews, said. In truth, the share of transmission that has occurred outdoors seems to be below 1 percent and may be below 0.1 percent, multiple epidemiologists told me. The rare outdoor transmission that has happened almost all seems to have involved crowded places or close conversation.

Saying that less than 10 percent of Covid transmission occurs outdoors is akin to saying that sharks attack fewer than 20,000 swimmers a year. (The actual worldwide number is around 150.) It’s both true and deceiving.

This isn’t just a gotcha math issue. It is an example of how the C.D.C. is struggling to communicate effectively, and leaving many people confused about what’s truly risky. C.D.C. officials have placed such a high priority on caution that many Americans are bewildered by the agency’s long list of recommendations. Zeynep Tufekci of the University of North Carolina, writing in The Atlantic, called those recommendations “simultaneously too timid and too complicated.”

They continue to treat outdoor transmission as a major risk. The C.D.C. says that unvaccinated people should wear masks in most outdoor settings and vaccinated people should wear them at “large public venues”; summer camps should require children to wear masks virtually “at all times.”

These recommendations would be more grounded in science if anywhere close to 10 percent of Covid transmission were occurring outdoors. But it is not. There is not a single documented Covid infection anywhere in the world from casual outdoor interactions, such as walking past someone on a street or eating at a nearby table.

Today’s newsletter will be a bit longer than usual, so I can explain how the C.D.C. ended up promoting a misleading number.

[sandor]

With the newest guidelines about exceedingly low rates of transferability of the virus from surfaces, so we still need to disinfect?

https://www.cdc.gov/hai/prevent/environ ... faces.html

Pretty sure this has been known for quite a while now. Unless you're touching a surface that has been coughed/sneezed on directly by someone with an infection you're very likely never going to get covid from touching a surface of any kind. Though the same is true about outdoor transmission and yet mask-wearing outdoors is still required in many places...

NYT 5-11-2021 <underline and bold are mine - Norm>

‘A huge exaggeration’
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines last month for mask wearing, it announced that “less than 10 percent” of Covid-19 transmission was occurring outdoors. Media organizations repeated the statistic, and it quickly became a standard description of the frequency of outdoor transmission.

But the number is almost certainly misleading.

It appears to be based partly on a misclassification of some Covid transmission that actually took place in enclosed spaces (as I explain below). An even bigger issue is the extreme caution of C.D.C. officials, who picked a benchmark — 10 percent — so high that nobody could reasonably dispute it.

That benchmark “seems to be a huge exaggeration,” as Dr. Muge Cevik, a virologist at the University of St. Andrews, said. In truth, the share of transmission that has occurred outdoors seems to be below 1 percent and may be below 0.1 percent, multiple epidemiologists told me. The rare outdoor transmission that has happened almost all seems to have involved crowded places or close conversation.

Saying that less than 10 percent of Covid transmission occurs outdoors is akin to saying that sharks attack fewer than 20,000 swimmers a year. (The actual worldwide number is around 150.) It’s both true and deceiving.

This isn’t just a gotcha math issue. It is an example of how the C.D.C. is struggling to communicate effectively, and leaving many people confused about what’s truly risky. C.D.C. officials have placed such a high priority on caution that many Americans are bewildered by the agency’s long list of recommendations. Zeynep Tufekci of the University of North Carolina, writing in The Atlantic, called those recommendations “simultaneously too timid and too complicated.”

They continue to treat outdoor transmission as a major risk. The C.D.C. says that unvaccinated people should wear masks in most outdoor settings and vaccinated people should wear them at “large public venues”; summer camps should require children to wear masks virtually “at all times.”

These recommendations would be more grounded in science if anywhere close to 10 percent of Covid transmission were occurring outdoors. But it is not. There is not a single documented Covid infection anywhere in the world from casual outdoor interactions, such as walking past someone on a street or eating at a nearby table.

Today’s newsletter will be a bit longer than usual, so I can explain how the C.D.C. ended up promoting a misleading number.

And MIT research recently showed that social distancing of any distance indoors is meaningless in terms of reducing transmission.
Masks indoors are the significant reduction method, regardless of any amount of distancing.

https://www.pnas.org/content/118/17/e2018995118


I try to remember, with all of this, that we are seeing systemic learning in real-time.
Instead of looking back at what we did 15 years ago & saying it was archaic & worthless, we are looking back 5 months.
Broad changes & adaptations are guaranteed with a moving target.



Also, on a daily basis i hear suburbanites astounded at the amount of mask wearing in Center City Philly - human density is incredibly different in different locales.
I pass easily 150+ people on the street twice a day walking to & from my parking spot @ work.
It is a 400 ft walk.

My assumption is that they are all cancer patients who are incredibly susceptible to any respiratory disease, let alone COVID, so i wear my mask on the street.
This also sets me up for entering the office, where they are all cancer patients.


I do wish the dissemination of new info could be quicker, but i also wish people weren't purposefully coughing on others & assaulting Walmart workers for asking them to wear a mask to protect others.

[lt.wolf]

Canadian Henley canceled

[Rocket-Sauce]

Green Mountain Head is cancelled

From email sent to competitors:
Dear Green Mountain Head competitor,
We are very sad to inform you that we've decided to cancel this year's race. As a club, and as volunteers we have spent considerable time thinking about how best to manage a variety of concerns leading up to the race. Ultimately, last night the Putney Rowing Club board decided that we would need to cancel the event. The decision came down to two critical factors. First, we are focused on managing Covid risks for competitors and our volunteers, many of whom were increasingly uncomfortable supporting the race. While most of our competitors are vaccinated and the event will be outdoors, we have been watching a steady increase of Covid cases in our region. Our county and region continues to see rising case counts and we are seeing a Covid incidence greater than we had last year when we chose to cancel the race. Secondly, as a result of climate change and significant rainfall in our region we have faced some structural challenges that make hosting the Green Mountain Head problematic. Between flooding near the start / finish area, damage to the railroad tracks, and to this being a very bad year for corn silage, we have worked very hard to figure out how best to manage the parking and boat storage. Ultimately, these issues made it just too challenging to host the event. We are working with Regatta Central to manage our refund process. Each of you will have the option to either receive 1/2 of your entry fee in return, or set your registration fee payment toward next year's race. Or, if you'd like we will accept a donation toward the costs that go into hosting the race. I understand that this is sad news. Many of you have been training and preparing for this event. This decision was made after long and careful consideration. Our club has always loved hosting the Green Mountain Head. Whether it be the camaraderie on and off the water, the prize ceremony, the cider donuts, or impressive racing, the regatta is a highlight of our year. And, it is with deep sadness that I send you this message now. Again, do expect a follow up message from me clarifying the refund of entry deferment. process.